Resources

This page is designed to share both current research to assist with educational and advocacy efforts as well as to share tools that might assist administratively. Please feel free to e-mail us any ideas or resources that may help other Councils.

Issue Briefing #7: Prevention in All Policies

August 2016

Benjamin Disraeli famously stated, “The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend.”1 While governments by necessity have to find balance among many competing values, population health is a core condition of a functioning, robust democracy. Sadly, the United States spends far more per citizen for health care than other industrialized democracies, yet achieves among the worse health outcomes.2 Advocates across the political spectrum – despite fundamental differences regarding methods – agree that health care costs must be better controlled to ensure sustainable U.S. fiscal health.

Issue Briefing #6: Prescription Drug Abuse

February 2011

The non-medical use and/or abuse of prescriptino and over-the-counter drugs is a serious and growing problem in New York State and nationally, and has reached ep idemic proportions. The consequences of this problem are seen continuously in emergency rooms, detoxification and crisis centers, treatment clinics, psychiatric facilities, county jails, and in family court. Defeating this epidemic will require a systemic, multi-level approach by a broad range of stakeholders, anchored by comprehensive community prevention intervention programs.

Issue Briefing #5: Alcohol & Cancer

February 2011

Alcohol is a proven causative factor in a number of cancers, including those of the head, neck, female breast, liver, colon, & rectum. It is also suspect in cancers of the lung, pancreas, prostate, endometrium, stomach and bladder. Alcohol is greatly underestimate d as a causative factor and those interested in reducing the burden of cancer should be informed of the role of alcohol as a causative agent, and support the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems.

Issue Briefing #4: Medical Marijuana

October 10, 2009

While cannabinoids have demonstrated therapeutic benefit, we stress that this is very limited potential for treating symptoms of very specific conditions and not the diseases themselves. We also have noted that new drugs have recently been developed which have demonstrated clinical efficacy over medical marijuana for certain conditions, and other drugs are on the horizon. We concur with the American Medical Association that marijuana in smoked form is unsuitable as a medicine. Additionally, no medication should be utilized without the formal approval of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, regardless of the action of state legislatures.

Consequently, we recommend: 1) development of a smoke-free inhaled or sublingual delivery system for whole marijuana extract or isolated cannabinoids; in conjunction with, 2) further clinical trials on the efficacy of marijuana and related cannabinoids according to strictly monitored research protocols, per the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine and the American Medical Association.

As discussed in the IOM Report, opium has been processed to yield several therapeutic medications, yet no doctor would advise the smoking of raw opium to a patient. Similarly, marijuana may yield several beneficial medications under strict prescription, but certainly not in raw form.

Issue Briefing #3: Wine Expansion in NYS

October 10, 2009

Expanding the sale of wine (and/or liquor) into grocery and drug stores in New York State is NOT in the public interest. The short-term economic benefits would be far outweighed by the negative short- and long-term public health and public safety consequences.

Issue Briefing #2: The 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age

June 30, 2009

The minimum legal drinking age of 21 (21 MLDA) should be supported and enforced, based on the wealth of evidence that it has reduced a host of alcohol-related problems, saving tens of thousands of lives.

Issue Briefing #1: Alcohol Consumption & Alcohol-Related Problems

June 29, 2009

Higher overall levels of alcohol consumption are strongly correlated to higher levels of alcohol-related problems. Therefore, in order to reduce those problems, communities need to reduce average per capita alcohol consumption through population wide measures (such as regulation of alcohol availability and
taxation) in addition to efforts targeted at high-risk sub populations.